MTL - Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece - v2 Chapter 11 Building camp

Themes: Black Market Trading, Global Crime Networks, Boundaries of Human Nature and Morality, The Struggle Between Truth and SurvivalStory Background:In a modern metropolis, the surface level of prosperity conceals the darkness and corruption lurking beneath. Ethan, a highly skilled detective, spends his life navigating the shadowy corners of the city, uncovering the hidden secrets buried beneath the mundane facade of everyday life. When he is drawn into what initially seems like a simple suicide case, he becomes entangled in a conspiracy involving the global black market, power struggles, and transnational crime.Main Characters:Ethan (Protagonist): A seasoned, calm, and intuitive detective who excels at finding the truth in complex cases. On the surface, he is a quiet, solitary man who prefers to avoid social interaction, but deep down, he is haunted by unresolved cases from his past. Faced with dark forces, he is both determined and full of doubt.Lila (Female Protagonist/Key Ally): Ethan's investigative partner, an intelligent and resourceful intelligence officer with a mysterious background. Her past is also shrouded in secrecy, and she seems to have an undisclosed connection to the “Black Angels” organization. She provides crucial assistance in Ethan's investigation, but her motives remain unclear, casting suspicion on her true intentions.Victor Saville (Antagonist/Main Adversary): A charismatic yet dangerous businessman, who appears to be a successful entrepreneur but is, in fact, one of the central figures of the global crime syndicate “The Black Angels.” Cold-hearted, clever, and ruthless, he controls a global black market network, overseeing arms trafficking, human trafficking, and drug smuggling. He is not only a key figure in Langley's death but also the biggest obstacle in Ethan's investigation.The Mysterious Woman (Key Character): An elusive woman who repeatedly appears during Ethan's investigation, warning him not to delve deeper into Saville and the “Black Angels” organization. Her identity is unclear, but it is evident that she holds vital secrets about Saville and his network. Her appearances leave Ethan bewildered—whether she is an enemy or his only ally remains uncertain.

Shen You is a real daughter. When she returned to the Shen family, she realized that the Shen family was biased towards the fake daughter. They always said that Shen You was not as elegant and kind as the fake daughter Shen Jiao.

Even if Shen You did not fight for it and only wanted to gain the recognition of her family, they believed that Shen You was fighting with Shen Jiao.

Until Shen You died of a terminal illness.

At this moment, Shen You realized that she was living in a novel. Shen Jiao was the real lucky female lead in the novel, while she was just a supporting actress with a tragic ending!

Shen You, who had been reborn through the system, decided not to care about her family anymore. She wanted to stay away from her fiancé, Zhao Nan, who hated her. She immediately packed her luggage and left.

But after she left, her cold parents, her brother who hated her, her hot-tempered brother, and her fiancé, Zhao Nan, who was used to being pestered by Shen You, all felt uncomfortable?

In order not to get terminally ill again, Shen You had no choice but to follow the system’s tips and try her luck with Young Master Huo.

Every time this young master saw her, his face was so red that it was about to bleed, yet he still had to pretend to be cold. “Can you stay away from me and not always stick by my side?”

Shen You nodded and left. She was going to take advantage of other people’s luck.

At a cocktail party, her fiancé saw the beautiful Shen You and took the initiative to strike up a conversation with her. Unexpectedly, she rejected him coldly.

Zhao Nan was about to pester Shen You when he was stopped by Master Huo’s bodyguards.

At that moment, Young Master Huo was walking over from the banquet hall’s entrance. He grabbed Shen You’s wrist and finally lowered his noble head. “I thought you wanted to pursue me, but you just wanted to take advantage of my luck. That’s why I was a little angry before.”

“From now on, I’ll let you stick to me, okay?”

Born into a lower middle class family, Ace Lander grew up being told there was a simple formula for success: get an education, graduate, and work hard to build a prosperous future. But that formula failed him during the final stretch of his senior year when a local gang targeted him, putting everything he had and was building towards at risk.Trapped and desperate, Ace felt his life spiraling out of control—until Ria Hart, a fellow classmate, discovering Ace's innate aptitude to become a Curse Master, a being capable of wielding curse energy and abilities but haunted by Curselings, took pity and introduced him to the secret world hidden beneath the mundane surface of their world, the World of Curses.Awakening as a Curse Master, Ace discovers he possesses an extraordinary innate curse tool: the Cursed Toybox. This tool comes with a unique class, Toymancer, granting Ace powers unlike any curse master the world has seen before. The Cursed Toybox allows him to animate and actualize toys, transforming them into powerful, living beings bound to his will.From overpowered heroes to legendary gods, any toy that falls into Ace's Cursed Toybox springs to life with powers beyond one's imagination but bound to him in eternal servitude. Armed with his Toy Summons, Ace must navigate the perilous world of curses, protect his loved ones, and reclaim control of his destiny before the gang—and the darkness of the hidden world—consume him entirely.[ — Status Screen —> Your Cursed Toybox is animating the doll 'Silicone Sailor Stella' as a toy summons…> Your Cursed Toybox has animated the doll 'Silicone Sailor Stella.'> Toy summon 'Silicone Sailor Stella' added to your toy space.> Toymancer can now summon Sailor Stella.Summoning Toy Summons...Name: StellaRace: Curse ToolClass: Toy summonTitle: Silicone SailorDurability: (100/100)Enchantment: 1-StarIndividuality: (100/100)Curse Energy Consumption: 5 units per hourSkills: Toy Actualization, Seamanship, Armed Security, Adult Gratification.Toy Actualization: Bring Toy Summons' original character design and skills to existence when they are animated based on their individuality stats.Addition Effect: Toy Physiology.Seamanship: Expertise in navigation, sailing, and ship handling alongside wilderness survival, first aid, and emergency procedures.Armed Security: Proficiency in the use of small arms and other naval weaponry with training in close quarters combat, surveillance, and counterintelligence.Adult Gratification: Creatively addressing emotional, mental, and physical needs of Toymancer till gratification.]“Cursed armies, Curselings, and Curse slaves are nothing—I've got a Toy legion of overpowered action figures and unrealistically beautiful silicone goddess.”~ToymancerJoin the saga of the Toymancer's rise to become the Strongest Curse Master.

A 19-year-old young lady came to the Jiang family, a prominent family in Sea City. Rumors had it that she rescued the Jiang family’s madame many years ago in the countryside. After she enrolled at Sea City University, the madame took her to the Jiang family’s residence before school started, claiming to familiarize the lady with Sea City’s environment.

It was said that that the young lady was an orphan who grew up in the countryside. However, she carried herself in a manner that befitted a rich young lady from a prestigious family, more so than the real rich young ladies.

It was said that the young lady had not seen the world and was not presentable. However, she maintained her composure in front of the bigshots from all walks of life. She maintained a proper smile that made people look askance.

It was said that the young lady was brought home by Old Madame Jiang to be Young Master Jiang’s wife.

It was said that the young lady came from too humble a background and was not fit to marry into the Jiang family.

It was said that the young lady fell in love with the young master of the Jiang family at first sight, but the young master of the Jiang family did not care about her at all.

…

First meeting.

She sat by the lotus pond in the Jiang family mansion as she read a book.

Even though she was in a simple outfit of a white T-shirt matched with black pants, he saw the charm of a beautiful lady.

She exuded the aura of a young lady.

First meeting.

Her book fell. He called after her.

She turned around after hearing him.

At that moment, she suddenly understood what “a man as beautiful as jade” meant.

He was a bright gentleman who was as gentle and beautiful as jade; she was an elegant young lady, reserved and upright.

If someone asked her what her greatest gain in coming to Sea City was, she would answer without hesitation, “Meeting him.”

If someone asked him what his greatest gain in staying in Sea City was, he would answer without hesitation, “Meeting her.”